John Deere Forestry (
www.deere.co.uk) is investing £2 million to create a substantial new facility at North Muirton Industrial Estate in Perth, and work is already underway, with the steel work in place.
More than 20 jobs will be created, and it will be the company’s largest UK base, with a sales operation, back-room staff, a workshop and a spare parts service covering the whole of Scotland.
UK managing director Jock McKie said Perth was the ideal location to service the firm’s forestry customers: “All of our machines have satellite linkage, and we can see where they are located. We realised that Perth was a tremendous location in terms of average time to machines.”
The company — a subsidiary of heavy-machinery giant John Deere — currently runs its UK operation from Carlisle, which will continue to cover England.
Mr McKie said he hoped the new site would be operational by March.
He added: “Forestry in Scotland is predicted to grow by 48% in the next 10 years.
“This strategic move is about getting quicker support and parts to customers, so that we remain their preferred supplier and strengthen our market share as a result.
"We have recruited for a lot of positions, with some of the staff working in Carlisle to learn the product and the business before moving to the Perth operation.”